UPDATE:  Here is a link to the letter from the Police Chief.

Police Chief Gil Kerlikowske today clarified issues relating to the BAT lanes on 15th Ave West.  The chief sent a letter regarding the issues raised at the meeting held by the Magnolia Community Club in November.

Here is what the Chief said:

Drivers may now use the lanes northbound at Mercer Place if they are intending to access the Galer Street ramp to the Magnolia Bridge.  This meets the community’s request for safer acccess.

BAT lane signage indicating hours of operation should be interpreted to mean the lane is available to all vehicles outside the posted hours.  Specifically, this means that drivers may use this as a normal lane outside the posted hours.

The ticket for BAT lane violations is $124. The transportation department will deploy electronic signs to inform drivers during the week of April 20th.  After a two week period, SPD will begin enforcement of the BAT lane rules.

The city originally announced they would enforce the BAT lanes back in October but backed down after numerous concerns were raised.  

We want to remind you that the Seattle Police Department plans to begin enforcement of the BAT lanes on 15th Ave West this week.

As we reported, the new signs and stripes were installed last week and the city said drivers would have a week to get used to the changes before officers issue tickets to violators.

The most recent changes came about in response to lots of community feedback.  We are wondering if anyone has noticed a difference since the city allowed for a longer merge time off the Magnolia Bridge southbound and changed the parking restrictions northbound?  Let us know in comments below. 

In response to lots of community feedback, there are a number of changes to the BAT lanes on 15th Ave West.  City crews were out today putting new signs and stripes in place to mark the changes.  

Seattle Traffic Operations Engineer Mike Morris-Lent tells us that the biggest change is for drivers coming off the Magnolia bridge southbound.  Instead of needing to merge right away at West Galer, drivers will now have an additional two and a half blocks to travel to West Lee before they have to merge.  Engineers hope this will make the merge safer and reduce congestion. 

In the northbound direction, there will no longer be parking between W Lee Street and the Magnolia Bridge entrance and parking will now be restricted on weekdays from 7 AM to 6 PM between W Prospect Street and W Lee Street. 

Crews expect to wrap up the work today.  Seattle police department will give drivers a week to get used to the changes before they begin enforcing BAT lane restrictions.

There are going to be new signs and stripes on 15th Ave West by the end of this month and then Seattle Police Department will begin enforcement of the BAT lane restrictions.

The signing and striping work is scheduled to be completed by next weekend and then drivers will have one week to get used to the changes before police begin handing out tickets to violators.

After a community meeting hosted by the Magnolia Community Club and feedback from drivers, the Seattle Department of Transportation is making changes to the controversial BAT lanes.   Here is what SDOT tells us:

Parking will now be restricted on weekdays from 7 AM to 6 PM between W Prospect Street and W Lee Street.  Parking will be removed at all times between W Lee Street and the Magnolia Bridge entrance.  Due to feedback from businesses on Elliott between W Mercer Place and W Lee Street, off-peak parking will be retained with the current peak hour restriction ( 7 to 9 AM and 4 to 6 PM) between W Mercer Place and W Prospect Street.

The BAT lanes have been approved for use by all buses, including school and charter buses and vanpools.  They are working with the Port of Seattle to ensure that bus operators are aware that they may use the BAT lanes and they will be providing directions to bus drivers prior to the cruise ship season starting in April at Pier 91.

The BAT lanes will not be open to taxis or carpools.

SDOT will be posting signs encouraging bicyclists to use the parallel Myrtle Edwards Park Trail.  However, they say that cyclists are legally allowed to ride in the curb lane along this corridor.

“We expect these changes to significantly improve operations and will continue to closely monitor traffic flow in the area.  Signal engineers are continuing to refine the signal timing,” says Eric Widstrand, SDOT.

What do you think?  Let us know in comments below.

UPDATE:  The MCC tells us they have petitions at ACE Hardware in The Village for people who want to sign.

UPDATE:  The Seattle Police Department has issued this statement retracting their original media release about BAT lane violations following the MCC meeting last night:

On October 15th, we indicated that the Seattle Police Traffic Section would be conducting enforcement of Business Access and Transit (BAT) Lane violations along the 15th Avenue West corridor.  This is no longer the case.

Public education on these roadway changes will continue, with enforcement of violations to occur at a later date.  Additional announcements on this subject will be forthcoming!

A crowd of over fifty people vented their frustrations about the city’s BAT (business, access and transit) lanes tonight but there was some good news from the meeting.  Seattle Police announced they will not be enforcing BAT lanes rules yet and no tickets will be issued to drivers for awhile.  This reverses our report from October 15 when the city warned they would issue tickets to anyone who violated the rules of the BAT lanes.

The city now says it was premature in saying they would issue tickets for BAT lane violators.  

A number of issues were brought up tonight, as Eric Widstrandt (left) and Bill Bryant from Seattle’s Department of Transportation attempted to explain the BAT lanes to residents, many of whom expressed anger and frustration over the lanes devoted to buses on 15th Ave West.

The city representatives were invited by the Magnolia Community Club (MCC) to address resident’s concerns.

Magnolia resident Mark Bloome said that it feels like the BAT lanes are going to stay in place no matter what residents say and others echoed that concern.  There were also complaints about the lack of information given to the neighborhoods impacted by the lanes before they were installed.  

Residents from Magnolia, Queen Anne and Ballard attended the meeting.  Some accused the city of being heavy handed and not listening to citizen’s concerns and others called the BAT lanes ridiculous and said the signage and usage rules were confusing.  One woman said her drive now takes 15-20 minutes longer because of the increased traffic in the two lanes left for cars.  Another resident told the city reps that he really did not believe they would change their minds no matter what they heard from people at the meeting.  A long line of people waited to ask questions and make comments. 

Bryant and Widstrandt said they can’t evaluate the lanes fully until the signal timing system is finished which won’t be for a few months.  They also plan to tweak problems on a case by case location for specific locations.  They said they would consider allowing van pools to use the BAT lanes along with buses but they are not considering allowing car pools in those lanes.

They listened to a number of people express concerns over the confusing signage. They admit they ‘oversigned’ the area in an effort to explain the rules.  The crowd broke into applause a number of times when people criticized the BAT lanes.  One of the comments that drew the most applause was the suggestion that the city cover the signs with bags until they have the issues worked out. 

While a majority of people at the meeting opposed the BAT lanes, two bus riders testified that their commutes were shorter because of the BAT lanes.

The MCC also unveiled a petition asking the city to make safety improvements to the BAT lanes.  They will be circulating to Magnolia residents in the next few weeks.

One more reminder that tonight (November 13) is your chance to tell the city what you think about the BAT (business, access and transit) lanes on 15th Ave West. 

The Magnolia Community Club is sponsoring the meeting tonight that will bring officials from the Seattle Department of Transportation to Magnolia to explain the BAT lanes and hear concerns from drivers.

We have reported extensively on the many concerns of Magnolia residents who find the BAT lanes confusing and annoying and we expect the meeting tonight should be pretty interesting.

Your chance to be heard is at 7pm tonight at Blaine School at 2550 34th Ave West.

                                                                                           A reminder that Thursday, November 13 is your chance to share your opinion on the BAT (business access and transit) lanes on the Elliott/15th Ave West corridor.  The Magnolia Community Club (MCC) is holding a meeting for the public to focus on concerns about the new BAT lanes. 

We have reported a number of times on complaints from drivers about the lanes that are reserved for buses, bikes and right-turning vehicles. The rules have been confusing and currently there is conflicting signage as to the hours of operation.  Here is what the MCC says about the BAT lanes:

The City imposed the lanes without public support or meetings.  The result for Magnolia has been severe congestion and pollution along the Elliott corridor, with cars idling whilst the bus lanes remain clear and open.  There is no clear signage as to where to merge for northbound Magnolia Bridge traffic, leaving residents concerned about possible tickets for merging too early.  There are many “right hand only” turn lanes which lead to dead end streets.  Southbound traffic from the Magnolia Bridge is directed to merge at an exit point from the Staples store on 15th, resulting in a chokepoint and serious safety issues.

Representatives from Seattle Department of Transportation will be at the meeting to listen to community concerns and answer questions about the imposed BAT lanes.  The meeting is at 7pm at Blaine School, 2550 34th Ave West, in the cafeteria.   

The best thing that most people can say about the new transit lanes on 15th Ave is that they are confusing. We can’t really print the worst things that people have said about them.  And now the city says they plan to ticket drivers who are not following the rules.

Now you have a chance to tell the people who came up with the Business Access and Transit Lanes (the city calls them BAT) lanes exactly what you think of them.

The Magnolia Community Club is devoting its November General Meeting to a presentation from the Seattle Department of Transportation to the BAT lanes and how they are impacting commuters.  The meeting will include time for plenty of quesions from affected drivers. 

“We want the city to explain these BAT lanes. The vast majority of people I talk to believe the signage makes no sense.  We need to know where the idea for these lanes came from and what problem is being solved with them.  We just see them creating problems.  We need to let the city know how they are impacting drivers,” says Nancy Rogers, Magnolia Community Club president.

Rogers says the Magnolia Community Club has been working with the city since the signs were first posted to seek logical access for Magnolia commuters.  The city has indicated a desire to wait until the project was complete to further discuss whether the designs and lane restrictions make sense or create additional traffic congestion.  Rogers says now is that time.  

The meeting is set for Thursday, November 13 from 7pm to 9pm at Catherine Blaine School Cafeteria and the public is invited.   

We have reported a number of times on the confusing new Business Access and Transit Lanes (the city calls them BAT) on 15th Ave West.  Now the city has just issued a media release letting us know they will begin ticketing drivers who do not follow the BAT lane restrictions.  

The city says now that the contractor is completing work along Elliott and 15th, police officers will begin enforcement of the corridor’s BAT lanes.  That means you will get a ticket if you don’t follow the rules.

As anyone who drives to Magnolia knows, the problem is that the rules are confusing.  Here is how the city explains it:

Buses and bicycles have full use of the lanes only during peak traffic periods, and other drivers may enter the BAT lanes to access businesses along the corridor. During off-peak hours, the lanes are available for use by all and for parking. Only buses and bicycles can travel continuously along the curb lane as other drivers are still limited by the right turn restrictions that are in force at all times. Signs indicate that drivers in the curb lanes except buses and bicycles  must turn right at marked intersections. 

The city department of transportation says the large majority of drivers along the corridor have been observing the restrictions, but some have not. Drivers violating the BAT lanes will now be ticketed.

Consider yourself warned.